Fools and Fairy Tales
by AtLoLevad
Summary: Damon and Elena have gotten a happy ending, or have they? Depends of your definition of happy. Complete for now.


Elena woke up to a loud clap of thunder. She rolled over and smiled as she saw her husband's ice blue eyes.

"Wide awake, huh?" Damon whispered, his voice scratchy from lack of use. Elena tucked herself under Damon's chin.

"Mhmm. But at least I'm in good company." She kissed the hollow of Damon's neck softly. He laughed, sending a vibration through Elena's body. He grinned as Elena's hand slipped south, sliding warmly over his bare chest and coming to rest at the elastic of his boxers.

"Don't start anything you don't plan to finish Miss Published Author. " Damon growled. Elena pulled away, lying on her back.

"It hasn't been published yet. The release is tomorrow." She rolled her eyes good naturedly, but Damon could she the nerves she was trying so hard to hide. He peppered kissed on her collarbone.

"I know." He said, looking up at her from beneath his eyelashes. "It's written on every calendar I own and I got my preorder confirmation the other day."

Elena let out a soft laugh, "You didn't have to buy it. I wrote it!"

Damon chuckled, "I know. I wanted to support my girl. Now let's finish what you started." He pressed his lips to Elena's and she smiled as his early morning scruff rubbed against her face.

Damon rolled on top of Elena, resting on his forearms so he wouldn't squish her. She grabbed at his back, digging her fingers into his well-defined muscles.

"Mama? Daddy?" A little voice whispered from the doorway. Damon started and rolled off of Elena, groping around on the floor for a t-shirt he was sure he had thrown there before getting into bed. Elena sat up and held out her arms.

"Oh, Ree. Was it the storm? Did it wake you?" Elena's voice was soft, and Damon reveled in how maternal she was. It was a side of his wife he'd never get tired of.

The three year old nodded and, clutching her raggedy stuffed bear, she climbed up into the four-poster, burrowing herself in between Damon and Elena. Damon wrapped an arm around his baby girl's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Arianna, do you want Mommy to tell you a story? To take your mind off the storm?" Damon asked softly. He got a muffled 'yes' in return and Elena smiled. She scooted closer to her husband and daughter and began the story.

"Once upon a time…" Her words were drowned out by a large clap of thunder and a tiny squeal from the blue-eyed girl next to her. Damon stroked the little girl's hair while murmuring, "Shh, it's okay. It's noting to worry about. I've got you."

Another clap of thunder mingled with the sound of feet stampeding down the hallway. Six-year-old Aiden Salvatore stood in the doorway. He was a clone of Damon, down to the smirk, but right now his mouth was twisted in fear. Elena looked up and gave a gentle smile.

"Are scared too Aiden?" She patted the bed, an invitation fro him to join. Aiden shook his head.

"Mooom, I'm not scared. I was just checkin' on Ari." Aiden jumped as another clap of thunder hit. Damon and Elena shared a knowing look over Arianna's head.

"Come join us buddy. Mom was just telling Ari a story. We want you to hang out with us." Damon patted the bed and this time Aiden jumped in.

Elena began her story again, "Once upon a time…"

By the time the knight slayed the dragon, both Aiden and Arianna were asleep. Damon lifted them carefully so Elena could pull the covers over them. Each parent took a side and they propped their heads up on their hands.

"We made good kids." Damon said as he watched Arianna suck her thumb. Elena murmured in consent. Damon reached over and stroked Elena's cheek with his thumb.

"What's wrong? You look far too serious for 3 o'clock in the morning."

Elena smiled, "I'm just happy. I wasn't sure how to tell you, but I think now's the perfect time. Damon, I'm pregnant."

* * *

A huge clap of thunder caused Elena Gilbert to shoot up into a sitting position. She blinked a few times and then looked around to take in her surroundings. She was in her room, lying in her twin bed, not in Damon's massive four-poster in the boarding house. She checked her bedside clock. It was 3 am.

The longer she looked at her bedroom walls, the more Elena felt like crying. The dream she'd just had was only that, a dream. It had felt so real. So damn real that she could forget what had happened only a few short weeks ago. She caught sight of a picture taped to her mirror. Damon. The sight of him sent her over the edge and she burst out into body shaking sobs.

Jeremy came running in and pulled his sister into a tight hug.

"What happened? Elena, please talk to me." Jeremy pleaded as he stroked Elena's hair.

"He's gone. He's gone. He's never coming back and I'm going to have to live without him. I can't live without him." She wailed. Jeremy sighed, tears coming to his eyes. He felt his sister's pain. She was wailing like a wild animal and Jeremy knew there was nothing that he could do to stop her. The only man who could was gone.

Eventually Elena cried herself to sleep. Jeremy sat at the foot of her bed, watching just in case she woke up again. He knew Elena hadn't slept much in the weeks following Damon's sacrifice.

Jeremy twisted his ring as he thought about how Damon had sacrificed himself for the cure to turn Elena human. A cure that hadn't worked. A cure that now haunted Elena Gilbert in every minute of the day. Jeremy had never seen Elena like this, not even when Stefan had gone Ripper again. Now he knew that the only thing keeping Elena together was Damon.

Elena moaned in her sleep and Jeremy resisted the urge to wake her up, to help her escape the bad dream. He knew that Elena needed what little sleep she was getting.

As Elena said Damon's name in her sleep, Jeremy clenched his fists. He was ready to kill Stefan and Klaus for putting this shitty cure idea into everybody's heads. It wasn't fair. Not to Elena, not to Damon, not to Jeremy, not to Caroline…it sucked for everyone. With Elena and Damon getting closer and closer, Elena had thought she'd have a happy ending, despite being a vampire.

Jeremy figured happy endings were for fools and fairy tales.

* * *

**A/N: I put this down here so it wouldn't ruin the flow of the story. I know this one is really sad. I hated doing this to my babies, but the plot bunny grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let me go until I wrote it. I want Damon and Elena happy, and it looks like we may be getting that this season. That being said, I have no immediate plans to continue this. My Avengers story is going to be my priority for a while. I also have no plans to continue _Just What They Need_ and _By Her Side_. So I'd love it if you reviewed instead of followed. :)**


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